Brighton (A) Saturday 26th August 5:30pm live on Sky

ASLEFshruggedASLEFshrugged
edited August 2023 in Match Threads
I am pleasantly surprised to still be here! I've managed to wangle a shift that finishes at 4:52pm so I should be in the pub for kick off. Praying there are no signal failures, etc.

The last time we went down to Brighton in March we got stuffed 4-0 although we were without Antonio, Kehrer. Cornet, Fabianski and Coufal with Zouma only fir for the bench. This time we will be without Aguerd but at the moment everyone else if available (fingers crossed).

Apart from the departure of Mac Allister (£55m) and Caicedo (£115m) not much has changed at Brighton. They've added FW Joao Pedro from Watford for a club record of £30m, CM/DM Mahmoud Dahoud from Borussia Dortmund on a free and James Milner who is currently being played at RB.

They've had a good start with two 4-1 wins against Luton at home and Wolves away leaving them top of the table on GD.

RW Solly March has scored three and while Danny Wellbeck is yet to get off the mark he has scored in all of our last three visits

In our last six visits we've lost four and drawn two.

The last time we won down there was 24th October 2011 in the Championship, Kevin Nolan scored the only goal, we had Manuel Almunia in goal and Brighton had 19yo Lewis Dunk in their starting XI. 12 years later he's Brighton's captain..
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Comments

  • alderzalderz
    I'd imagine we'll be largely unchanged.

    Areola; Coufal Zouma Ogbonna Emerson; Soucek Ward-Prowse; Bowen Paqueta Benrahma; Antonio.
  • ASLEFshruggedASLEFshrugged
    Brighton also fairly predictable

    Steele
    Milner Webster Dunk Estupinan
    March Gross Gilmour Mitoma
    Wellbeck Pedro

    Possible variations could be...

    van Hecke for Webster
    Dahoud for Gilmour
    Enciso for Pedro
  • YeoldhammerYeoldhammer
    Can we just beat these for once
  • LukerzLukerz
    edited August 2023
    I feel we always never get near this side. I’d be tempted to go:

    Areola
    Kehrer - Zouma - Ogbonna
    Coufal - Soucek - Ward-Prowse - Paqueta - Emerson
    Bowen - Antonio

    A draw would be an outstanding result. We’d need to sit behind the ball again, deep, & counter well, but they always seem to make us look so average.
  • ASLEFshruggedASLEFshrugged
    edited August 2023
    Looking at average positions from Brighton's two games its very much a 4-4-2 with an emphasis of playing down the left (Estupinan and Mitoma have 2 assists each)

    v Wolves

    v Luton


  • alderzalderz
    I think we're pretty adept at sitting in deep in our usual 4-2-3-1, and would personally stick to that shape. I'd be tempted to bring in Fornals for Benrahma, but I wouldn't want or expect many other changes.
  • LukerzLukerz
    It’s weird, we seem to press them when we play them & get battered. We don’t seem to sit as deep & be as patient as we usually are against possession based sides.
  • Jorderz_Moyes_will_be_MoyesJorderz_Moyes_will_be_Moyes
    I say this every time we play them, but we must be due a win. Even a horrible, daylight robbery win.
  • ASLEFshruggedASLEFshrugged
    Never mind a win, we must be due a draw!
  • LukerzLukerz
    We must be due a one goal defeat!!
  • Giant_HammerGiant_Hammer
    Surely our defense can’t be as bad as Wolves can it? Can it?
  • BazshuayiBazshuayi
    I am not looking forward to this game. Brighton are a top attacking side and we lost to them routinely when they were appreciably worse than now. Hoping they for once have a complete off day against us!
  • ScotHammerScotHammer
    ASLEFshrugged said:



    The last time we won down there was 24th October 2011 in the Championship, Kevin Nolan scored the only goal, we had Manuel Almunia in goal and Brighton had 19yo Lewis Dunk in their starting XI. 12 years later he's Brighton's captain..

    ……perhaps we start Nolan then? He’s currently on the bench every week.

    Seriously, if Caicedo was one of their best last year, I’m more hopeful after yesterday. Fornals for Benrahma for me, otherwise no changes.

    But can Sky please sort out their commentary team!!
  • buffybegoodbuffybegood
    ScotHammer said:

    Seriously, if Caicedo was one of their best last year, I’m more hopeful after yesterday. Fornals for Benrahma for me, otherwise no changes.

    I think you'll find there will definitely be a change at CB.

  • ScotHammerScotHammer
    edited August 2023
    Forgot about that, sorry😜. Ogbonna for Aguerd for me..
  • BubblesNeverDiesBubblesNeverDies
    edited August 2023
    ScotHammer said:

    ASLEFshrugged said:



    The last time we won down there was 24th October 2011 in the Championship, Kevin Nolan scored the only goal, we had Manuel Almunia in goal and Brighton had 19yo Lewis Dunk in their starting XI. 12 years later he's Brighton's captain..

    ……perhaps we start Nolan then? He’s currently on the bench every week.

    Seriously, if Caicedo was one of their best last year, I’m more hopeful after yesterday. Fornals for Benrahma for me, otherwise no changes.

    But can Sky please sort out their commentary team!!
    Just as long as we don't have to hear Screecher Drury. God I hate his voice.

  • LukerzLukerz
    edited August 2023
    When we got beat 4-0 last season, the team was…

    Areola
    Johnson - Aguerd - Ogbonna - Emerson
    Soucek - Rice - Paqueta
    Bowen - Ings - Benrahma

    So Zouma playing will make a difference, as will Coufal & Antonio. This side was pulled apart last season, playing that formation.

    The home game was (lost 0-2)…

    Fabianski
    Coufal - Zouma - Kehrer - Cresswell
    Soucek - Rice
    Bowen - Fornals - Benrahma
    Antonio
  • claretandblueskyclaretandbluesky
    I am hopeful, they have lost their best player, as have we of course, but their two victories were against sides I expect to struggle this season. We will be a shock to their system, depending of course on which of our two sides turn up, the one we put out in the first half against Chelsea or the second.
  • KuchinghammerKuchinghammer
    Will Moyes risk Alvarez? I thought he slotted in well against Chelsea. Quick thinking and quick on his feet. Both needed against Brighton.
  • secrethammersfansecrethammersfan
    Kuching, I agree 101%. I also feel without any justification that there's a very strong chance of a West Ham win.
  • WHU_Champo_league_in_7_yearsWHU_Champo_league_in_7_years
    edited August 2023
    Kuchinghammer said:

    Will Moyes risk Alvarez? I thought he slotted in well against Chelsea. Quick thinking and quick on his feet. Both needed against Brighton.

    Doubt it, still hasn't had much football and the Soucek & Ward Prowse pivot was good and isn't exactly screaming out for Alvarez if he's not ready

    I wonder how good he is at Centre back, I know he's played there before. Think you can see by Moyes bringing on Ogbonna shows that he's likely going to start with a Oggy or Kehrer but Alvarez may be an option there while Aguerd is out

    Do worry about Ogbonna pace against Brighton
  • alderzalderz
    WHU_Champo_league_in_7_years said:

    Kuchinghammer said:

    Will Moyes risk Alvarez? I thought he slotted in well against Chelsea. Quick thinking and quick on his feet. Both needed against Brighton.

    I wonder how good he is at Centre back, I know he's played there before.
    He started 15 times at CB for Ajax last season, and 28 times at DM, so he's actually played there a lot more regularly than I had realised. In those 15 games, Ajax lost twice (once in Europa League to Union Berlin and once in the cup final against PSV), they conceded 11 goals, and kept 6 clean sheets.
  • jay_in_cptjay_in_cpt
    Referee: Taylor, Anthony
    Assistant Referee: Beswick, Gary
    Assistant Referee: Nunn, Adam
    Fourth Official: Allison, Sam
    Video Assistant Referee: Coote, David
    Additional Video Assistant Referee: Holmes, Adrian
  • ASLEFshruggedASLEFshrugged
    Apart from Feyenoord, AZ, PSV and maybe Twente the other teams in the Eredivisie aren't particularly tough opposition

    Alvarez also played CB for Mexico against Qatar, Honduras and Haiti in the 2023 Gold Cup and if you go back to the 2018 World Cup he played RB.
  • LukerzLukerz
    When we play this lot usually, we don’t seem very good at our usual game-plan. I remember watching us play them last season, home & away, & we seemed to go at them a little with a half-hearted press in both games, which they destroyed us with on the counter or by passing round us quickly. I do feel the best approach for this is to concede possession, sit really deep & try & use Antonio, Bowen, Benrahma on the counter. I don’t see any other way. They play probably the second best football in the league behind City.
  • ASLEFshruggedASLEFshrugged
    edited August 2023
    Nice article from Sky sports on Zerbi's tactics

    https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11095/12810847/roberto-de-zerbis-brighton-tactics-explained-provoking-the-opposition-press-by-becoming-the-possession-kings#:~:text="The possession always depends on,pressure, Brighton can appear passive.

    Keep possession, draw the opposition out and exploit the space

    We gave Chelsea 75% possession and used a low block, might just work against Brighton

    Sadly I don't think you can bet on possession but if you could I'd put a tenner on Brighton to have 70% or more
  • IronHerbIronHerb
    All in on a 0-0 then. They hold till we come out, we don't come out, they continue to hold. 😂
  • epsom_bubblesepsom_bubbles
    A bit like Ali's "rope-a-dope", especially against Chelski
  • IronHerbIronHerb
    epsom_bubbles said:

    A bit like Ali's "rope-a-dope", especially against Chelski

    But which of us will be Ali?
  • buffybegoodbuffybegood
    It's got the makings of a game of Kabaddi with a ball, neither team will leave their own half as they try and draw the other team forward, with the occasional foray before dropping back into formation inside your own half.
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